Читать книгу A Chance with You - Yahrah John St. - Страница 13

Chapter 3

“Raina Martin,” Spencer said her name with a smile rather than the indignation Raina had expected.

“How did you find me?” Raina asked, her throat parched.

“You’re not the only one who can locate people,” Spencer replied. “You’ve made quite a reputation for yourself.”

Raina frowned.

“In a good way.” Spencer held up her business card. “Allyson gave me your card when I asked her for your info after such delicious canapés.”

“Y-you sought me out?”

His dark eyes watched hers from across the room as he walked farther into the kitchen, filling the small space that housed stainless steel refrigerators, commercial stoves and an abundance of pots, pans and cutlery. She knew she must have looked a wreck wearing a stained chef’s coat and jeans with her hair in a ponytail.

“Does that surprise you?” he asked, raising a brow. “I did ask you on a date and you turned me down. And I don’t take no for an answer. But then imagine my surprise when my attorney is served with paternity papers on the very same day I planned on contacting you.”

“Umm...I—I’m just going to go to the store for some supplies,” Summer said, pointing to the back door. Neither Raina nor Spencer turned to watch her grab her hobo purse and keys from a nearby hook and scurry out the door.

Raina swallowed the lump in her throat. “That must have come as quite a shock.”

“Yes, it was. It was very disappointing.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I thought you didn’t have an ulterior motive like most women who meet successful athletes...former athletes.”

“But you think I have one now?”

“Perhaps.”

“And what would it be?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet.”

“Well, you’d be wrong. I don’t have one,” Raina replied, standing up to face him. When she did, Spencer towered over her and she was slightly awestruck.

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”

“It was hardly the appropriate time or moment to tell you that I thought you’d slept with my sister and had fathered her child. Might have been in poor taste, don’t you think?”

Spencer smirked. “Touché. But that begs the question—what do you want from me, Raina Martin?”

“It’s quite simple. DNA,” Raina replied honestly. “I need to know if you’re Zoe’s father. And if you are, then I’m looking for help raising your daughter. I never thought I’d be a single parent. Wasn’t my heart’s desire, you know? I...I never thought my twin would die.” Raina’s voice cracked. “B-But it was my sister’s last wish that I take care of Zoe, and I’m doing what I think is best for her. She needs a father.”

“And financial support?”

“Do you honestly think that all I’m after is your money?”

Spencer knew she wasn’t, but he said, “I don’t know. Most women are.”

“Well, I’m not most women.”

That’s what he’d known the other night. It was why he’d sought her out. It was why the paternity wrinkle had put him in such a pickle. “And what if I’m not Zoe’s father?”

“Then I’m back to the drawing board,” Raina answered.

“And why do you think I am?”

Raina didn’t answer. Instead, she went to her purse on the hook where Summer’s had been. Where had she gone? Raina glanced around. She hadn’t even seen her leave. Had she been so engrossed in Spencer Davis that she was that oblivious? Why was he having this kind of effect on her?

“Because of this.” She pulled out the picture of Alexa and Spencer and shoved it at him.

Spencer took the photo from Raina’s hand and their fingers touched for the briefest of seconds, sending an electric current running through Raina. She looked up at Spencer to see if he’d felt it, and it seemed as if he had; his eyes darkened ever so slightly. Raina stepped away quickly.

Spencer looked down at the photograph and saw himself with a beautiful woman who looked somewhat like Raina, with similar facial fixtures, but not exactly. “So you were fraternal twins?”

Raina nodded without speaking. Losing her twin had been like losing her other half and she still could hardly talk about Alexa without getting choked up.

“Where did you get this?” Spencer inquired, holding up the photo.

“Alexa handed the picture to me before she died at the hospital.”

“And this is all the proof you have?”

“Do I need more?” Raina asked, peering at Spencer. He was looking at the photograph so intently. She was picking up on a vibe. “Do you recognize Alexa?”

Spencer nodded, “I remember kicking it with her, but that’s all. And I definitely didn’t sleep with her.”

“How would you know?” Raina said, putting her hand on her hip, “According to the press, at the time you and your crew were quite the party animals. Do you even remember who you slept with?”

Spencer frowned. “Are you implying that I’m a slut puppy?”

Raina laughed at his description. “If the shoe fits.”

“Then you’re basically calling your sister one because she would have been nothing other than another groupie trying to entrap a basketball player. She wouldn’t be the first and she certainly won’t be last.”

“How dare you!” Raina was horrified that he would speak of her deceased twin in such a fashion, and she turned away from Spencer immediately. His comment wasn’t that far from the truth. During that time, she and Alexa had lost touch because Raina hadn’t approved of Alexa’s lifestyle.

“Listen, I’m sorry, Raina.” He touched her shoulder, but she jumped away from him. “All I’m saying is that this photograph isn’t proof enough that I slept with your sister and fathered a child. All it does is prove we went out once. But then again, I wasn’t celibate back then, so I’ll agree to your paternity test just so we can squash this and move on. I know I’m not Zoe’s father.”

Raina spun around on her heels. “How can you say that with such certainty? You clearly were no angel back then. And the internet said you were known to drink to excess. How do you know who you slept with?”

“Trust me when I say that I don’t casually go to bed with a woman without protection. It’s just not safe. And further, I would think your sister would have remembered sleeping with me and might have mentioned it.”

“Because you’re that unforgettable?” Raina asked, raising a brow. She was sure he was. Her female intuition told her that once Spencer Davis made love to a woman, she would never forget it.

Spencer walked toward her, grasped a few tendrils of Raina’s hair and spun them around his finger. “Don’t you think so?” he asked huskily, leaning over her.

Raina’s breath caught in her throat and she couldn’t find the words to speak. She could feel his breath against her skin like tiny puffs of air and it was like a sensuous caress, one that she wanted to go on. But she couldn’t do this. Spencer Davis could very well have been involved with her sister and any attraction that she might feel was wrong until they found out the results of the paternity test.

On the one hand, she wanted Zoe to have a father, but on the other, she was hoping the test would be wrong. She was hoping Spencer Davis wasn’t the type of man to knock up her sister and not even realize he had a child.

“Don’t try and put the moves on me, Spencer Davis,” Raina said, stepping away from him. “I told you before that I’m not interested.”

Spencer raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t believe her. “All right.” He held up his hands. “But this isn’t over between us. The test will show you you’re wrong and I’m not the father. But just in case I’m wrong—know this, Raina Martin. If Zoe is my daughter, I will be seeking full custody.”

Raina’s mouth dropped open in shock just as Zoe came flying through the kitchen door with Raina’s mother following right behind her.

* * *

Spencer backed away from Raina. He knew she was as attracted to him as he was to her. He’d felt it, sensed it, but now wasn’t the right time to make his move. There was too much unresolved conflict between them. But once the test results showed he wasn’t Zoe’s father, he would have a chance to find out exactly what it was about Raina Martin that intrigued him so.

As the young girl came through the kitchen doors, Spencer looked at her closely. Memories of the night he’d met Alexa Martin came flooding back. And he knew who Zoe’s father was: his brother.

Spencer bent low to the ground until he was the little girl’s size so he wouldn’t scare her with his height. He peered at her, memorizing all her features. She was Cameron’s spitting image; she had his same nose, chin and big brown eyes. She was his niece. “Hi, Zoe.”

Zoe looked at Spencer and then at Raina as if to ask, “Who is this?”

Spencer assumed the older woman was Raina’s mother. She looked at her daughter questioningly. He figured she wanted to know who this strange man was who was speaking to Zoe.

“Zoe, this is...uh...my friend...Mr. Spencer,” Raina offered, tripping over her words. He was sure she didn’t know what to call him. She couldn’t very well tell Zoe he could potentially be her father.

“Mr. Spencer, I’d also like to introduce you to my mother, Mrs. Martin.” Raina’s mother raised an eyebrow. Clearly, she recognized his name and knew who he was, but she remained silent when Spencer nodded his head in greeting.

“Zoe, say hello,” Raina said in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

“You can just call me Spence,” Spencer said to Zoe. “Can you do that?”

Zoe nodded and smiled. “Hi, Spence. It’s nice to meet you.” She offered her tiny hand to him, which he shook gently. “How do you know my auntie Raina?”

Spencer looked up at Raina and smiled. “We go way back.” All of three days. “And it’s nice to meet you, too. Did you just get off from school?”

“Yes,” Zoe said and began rambling on about her day at school as if she’d known him for years. Clearly she had no fear of strangers and was quite friendly and sociable. He remembered Alexa was the same way.

Spencer humored Zoe and sat down with her after Raina had consented to milk and cookies for an after-school snack. They sat down at the small pedestal table in the back of the kitchen while Raina and her mother watched them from across the room.

“You’re awfully tall. How tall are you?” Zoe inquired, noticing how uncomfortable it was for him to sit in an average chair.

“I’m six foot four.”

“Are you a giant?” Zoe asked, dunking her cookie in the milk. “Like in the fairy tales?”

Spencer laughed heartily as he followed suit and dunked his cookie, too. “Sometimes it feels like that,” he answered honestly. Especially in the sixth grade, when he’d skyrocketed above all the other boys in his class. It had gotten better once he’d gone to high school. When he’d joined the basketball team, he’d finally found a place where he fit in.

“Did it make you sad to be different?” Zoe inquired.

Spencer was surprised by the thoughtful question from the six-year-old. What was the saying? Out of the mouths of babes...“It used to, but not anymore.”

“Zoe, stop questioning the man.” Raina came forward to break up the moment he was having with Zoe to stand directly behind him. Spencer got the vibe that it was time for him to leave and then Raina confirmed it. “Plus I think Mr. Spencer has to go, don’t you?”

Spencer turned around to look at Raina. Clearly she didn’t like the bond he was forging with Zoe. But why? She was the one who’d started down this road. He would have thought she would be encouraging it, especially since she thought he was Zoe’s father.

“Yes, I guess so.” He rose awkwardly from the small table to stand over the little girl and Raina. “Princess Zoe.” He reached for her hand, kissed it and bowed with a flourish. “I look forward to getting to know you better.”

Zoe chuckled at his grandness and said, “You’re funny, Spence.”

“Goodbye, Zoe.” Spencer turned on his heel to go. “A word, Raina?”

She must have heard the commanding tone in his voice because she followed him into the retail area of their catering shop.

“Yes?” Raina snapped, her arms folded across her chest.

Spencer was irritated by her hostile behavior. “You started this, Raina. Don’t be upset with me because I’m running with it,” he responded. “I’m trying to get to know the little girl you claim is my daughter, so a little less acrimony would be good here.”

His response knocked some of the wind out of her sails and Raina unfolded her arms and her shoulders relaxed. She blinked several times and said, “I’m sorry. It’s just that Zoe responded to you like she’d known you for years and with me...” Her voice trailed off.

“Of course she’s going to be harder on you,” Spencer said, softening his voice. “You’re in the trenches day in and day out. You’re the one she’s going to take out all her hurt and loss on.”

Raina looked up at him as if she was surprised that he could understand what she’d been going through. But isn’t that what she is looking for, someone to take the load off her with Zoe?

“It’s been hard on her, losing Alexa so young,” Raina supplied. “I’m doing my best, but it’s not easy.”

“Of course it’s difficult. Zoe may have lost her mother, but you lost your sister, your twin. That must be harder than any of the rest of us can imagine.”

Raina swallowed, and he could see her biting back her tears. He hadn’t wanted her to cry. He’d only wanted her to know that he understood and could be there. If she wanted.

“Thank you.” Raina nodded. “I think everyone seems to forget that I lost Alexa, too.”

Spencer reached across and caressed Raina’s cheek. “I understand loss.” He was still dealing with the ramifications of losing Cameron four years later. He could only imagine how much worse it would be if he’d had to contend with rearing a child after such a loss.

Raina looked up as if to ask him a question, but Spencer felt it was time to leave. He swiftly moved toward the door. “I’ll be in touch about the timing of the test. As both our attorneys stated, it’ll better if the test is done at an independent laboratory to avoid any conflict.”

Seconds later, Spencer was out the door and breathing a sigh of release. Raina Martin was quickly getting under his skin. He’d wanted to comfort her and take away the pain he knew she was feeling by spilling his guts about the loss of his brother. But he had no right to put that on Raina; it was his cross to bear and his alone.

* * *

Raina stared at the door Spencer had just departed out of. He’d been surprisingly comforting when he’d told her that she was suffering as much as Zoe. It was as if he’d looked deep inside her soul and read her mind. And it scared her.

When he’d said he knew loss, she knew it wasn’t a line. He wasn’t using it as way to get into her panties though she had no doubt that’s exactly what Spencer wanted to do. She’d known it from the moment she’d laid eyes on him at the fund-raising dinner. The fact that he’d personally come to see her today even after finding out that she’d served him with paternity papers confirmed it. Spencer Davis wanted her. The question was did she want him? And if she did, would she act on it?

“Raina.” Her mother called her name from the doorway of the kitchen. “Was that who I think it was?” she asked, coming into the retail store.

“Yes,” Raina replied, moving away from the door and walking behind the counter to find a rag to wipe off the counter. She needed to do something to try to avoid the conversation she knew her mother wanted to have. No such luck; her mother went in for the kill.

“What does he want?”

“I don’t know, Mom,” Raina replied, shrugging her shoulders as she wiped the counter.

“Don’t give me a pat answer, Raina Martin.” Crystal grabbed her by the shoulders and stopped her from working. “More importantly I want to know what was going on between you two.”

“What do you mean?” Raina asked innocently.

“Body language,” her mother offered. “That man was clearly interested in you. What kind of man would hit on the woman raising his daughter? It’s deplorable.”

“We don’t know Spencer is Zoe’s father,” Raina said, surprising herself by coming to Spencer’s defense and jerking her shoulders away.

“But Alexa said that Spencer was the one.”

“No, what she said was Spencer could help.” Raina remembered her sister’s last words very carefully because she’d replayed them in her head a million times. And since meeting Spencer, she was finding it hard to believe that in this day and age he would be so careless as to expose himself to diseases, much less pregnancy, by not practicing safe sex. Spencer struck her as a smart man.

“Yeah, well, I think it’s him. Why else would Alexa have carried that picture with her all these years?”

“Perhaps as a clue to find the real father.”

“Why are you grasping at straws here?” Her mother looked at her. “This was your idea. I thought you wanted to find Zoe’s father. If it had been up to your father and I, we would have let the matter rest and raised Zoe ourselves.”

“Well, it’s not up to you,” Raina snapped. She was aware that her parents thought her inept at the parenting thing, but Alexa had chosen her. “I’m Zoe’s guardian, and she confided in me how she wished she was like other kids with two parents. If you’d heard her and how upset she was, you would know that’s what I’m trying to give her.”

“I just hope your good intentions don’t come back and smack you in the face.” Crystal seemed unfazed by Raina’s harsh tone. “Because if he is Zoe’s father, he has rights, too, you know.”

Raina rolled her eyes. She already knew this. Spencer had made it painfully clear that should he be deemed the father, he would sue her for full custody. But Raina thought it was a bluff. What thirty-eight-year-old man wanted to be a single parent to a six-year-old little girl? Although he’d had a way with Zoe earlier, she highly doubted Spencer had been around children often, much less knew how to raise one. It’s not like you do, either, her inner voice mocked.